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For those not in the know, the MW365 shorts from Royal Racing are designed and constructed around the ultimate mountain bike tough guy Mark Weir’s specification, and based on his favourite elements of other shorts. The result uses a light, four-way stretch Bioflex Featherweight fabric that has so far proven durable, after many muddy rides and washes.

The cut is a little shorter than on other Royal Racing shorts, with the medium-sized short sitting just over our 5ft 8in test pilot’s knees. Even with the more tailored leg, the MW365s will still work over kneepads without a problem.

The waist band features inner adjustment tabs as well as a slight raise at the rear, which is also padded and is super comfy, especially when worn for longer stints in the saddle.

We like the zippered side hip pocket as it’s handy for the essentials. But we’d love to see this rearward facing, meaning there’s no interference when pedalling whatsoever. It’s a small niggle but we did find it could get a little uncomfortable when seated with a set of keys wedged in the pocket.

All in all, the MW365s are some of the comfiest shorts we’ve tried, with some nice little features. They’re also?reasonably priced, although the cut might not suit taller riders.

This article was originally published in Mountain Biking UK magazine, available on Apple Newsstand and Zinio.